Classic Hits

Nile Rodgers & Chic have made some great music to dance to — and now Peloton fans will be able to work out to them, as well. Peloton just revealed on Instagram that Rodgers’ music will be the focus of its latest Peloton Artist Series, with classes starting February 1.

“Le Freak, C’est CHIC!” Peloton said in their announcement. “Freak out to the hits of multi-Grammy Award-winning music legend @nilerodgers in an Artist Series like no other.”

The Rodgers series will include four live classes, two 30-minute rides, one 30-minute run and one 20-minute upper body strength class.

In other Nile news … He recently revealed that he’s been in the studio with St. Vincent. He shared a picture with the artist aka Annie Clarke, writing, “Working on new music with St. Vincent is the real deal f-ing wonderful I’m trying not to lose my mind too.”

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Graham Nash is once again looking back fondly on his musical partnership with the late David Crosby, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 81.

Nash shared a classic photo of him and Crosby recording in the studio, writing, “I’ve been hesitant to share photos of us in the past. People leave such nasty comments sometimes that belittle the complexities of a long-term friendship and musical partnership.” 

He adds, “But here is a photo of David and I recording in 1971. There was real magic between us. That much I know.”

And their Crosby, Stills & Nash singing partner Stephen Stills agrees, commenting on the photo, “Magic, indeed.” Nash responded, “You’re such a big part of that magic, Stephen.”

Nash has paid tribute to Crosby several times since his bandmate’s death, previously sharing he was “grateful to have sung with him, played with him, butted heads with him, and for going through so much together,” adding, “It’s his beautiful music that will live forever in all of our hearts. I’m just lucky to have known him.”

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Phil Collins turned 72 on Monday and his daughter, Emily in Paris star Lily Collins, paid tribute to him with a sweet post on Instagram.

Lily shared a carousel of pictures showing just how much she and the Genesis frontman are alike, including photos of them both posing in a bathtub, wearing tuxedos and rocking overalls. 

“Like father, like daughter. Happy birthday, dad,” she wrote. “Thank you for being a constant inspiration, constant laugh, and constant legend. I love you so much and am celebrating you big time today!”

Surprisingly, several of Lily’s fans seem to have been unaware that the rocker is her dad. As one noted, “Am I the only one just learning This is her dad ?! Doh.”

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Bon Jovi has reached a new milestone on YouTube. The video for the band’s classic track “Livin’ On A Prayer” has surpassed 1 billion views.

“Livin’ On A Prayer” was released in October 1986 and was the second hit single from their third album, Slippery When Wet.

The video, directed by Wayne Isham, was shot September 17, 1986, at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It features the band rehearsing and performing; at one point, frontman Jon Bon Jovi flies over the crowd with the help of a harness.

“Livin’ On A Prayer” is one of many videos that predate the existence of YouTube to have landed 1 billion views. Others include Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” which reached 1 billion in July 2018, and their track “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” which reached the milestone in October 2019. In addition, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” reached 1 billion views in July 2019.

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Bonnie Raitt has announced some new tour dates for 2023, including her first Canadian shows since 2017. 

The new leg of the Just Like That… tour, featuring special guest Royal Wood on select dates, kicks off September 2 in Victoria, British Columbia. Bonnie will play 11 shows in Canada, including dates in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto. 

The tour also includes some U.S. shows, with the tour wrapping October 11 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Presale tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, with the public sale set for February 3. A complete list of tour dates can be found at BonnieRaitt.com. 

Meanwhile, Raitt has a chance to add to her already huge Grammy hall this weekend. The singer, who has already won 10 Grammys, is up for four awards, including Song of the Year for her tune “Just Like That.” The 2023 Grammy Awards air Sunday on CBS live from Los Angeles.

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On this day, January 30, 1969 …

The Beatles gave their final public performance on Apple Records’ rooftop in London. In 42 minutes, the band, which was joined by guest keyboardist Billy Preston, did nine takes of five songs — “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909” and “Dig A Pony” — before the police pulled the plug.

The concert happened while the band was recording what would become their album Let It Be. It was released May 8, 1970, almost a month after the band’s breakup. 

Footage from the concert was used in the 1970 documentary Let It Be. In 2021, the entire performance was shown in the Disney+ documentary The Beatles: Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson.

The nearly eight-hour docuseries, which was co-produced by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon and George Harrison’s widows, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, used footage from the original 1970 documentary. The series went on to win five Emmys, including Best Limited Documentary Series.

In January 2022 the full rooftop concert was released to streaming services as a standalone album, Get Back- The Rooftop Performance.

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Producer Rick Rubin thinks Paul McCartney doesn’t get enough credit when it comes to his bass playing. In fact, in a new interview he claims Sir Paul is the best bass player out there.

“I thought about how everything I’ve seen, Beatles-related, is either about the songwriting or Beatlemania,” Rubin said in an interview with MOJO, according to NME. “Paul McCartney the bass player, or Paul McCartney the musician, because he plays everything – that’s a little story told.” He adds, “You just think of him as Beatle Paul, yet in my opinion, he is the best of all bass players, he’s number one.”

Rubin, who worked with McCartney on the 2021 Hulu mini series McCartney 3, 2, 1, adds that he also admires McCartney’s simple songwriting style. 

“What blew my mind was when he sat at the piano and he started showing me how to write a song. He was saying, ‘See, you could [do] it like this,'” Rubin says, “and what he was showing me was the simplest thing, but then he starts moving his fingers around slightly, and all of a sudden it evolves into ‘Hey Jude’ or ‘Let It Be.’”

He notes, “He’s using this technique that any child could do, then it morphs into one of the greatest songs of all time!”

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Dolly Parton continues to share bits of information on her upcoming rock album, which is due out in the late spring/early fall. She tells USA Today it will feature 28 tracks, with a mix of covers and originals. She’s also revealed a bit more on who will be joining her on what songs. 

Among the originals on the album will be a song called “What Has Rock ‘n Roll Ever Done For Me” with Stevie Nicks, which Dolly describes as “a cute little song.” There’s also an unnamed original with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.

She’s also rerecorded the Dolly classic “My Blue Tears” with Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon. 

“I was so excited because I could just hear his voice on it. He has that beautiful high voice and it’s an Irish-sounding love song with bagpipes,” she says. “It’s a love song about when a fella goes off to war and leaves his sweetheart behind and she cries her lonely blue tears and he’s on the other side crying his lonely blue tears. It’s a big range that Simon will be great at.” 

In addition to the already announced “Let It Be” cover with Paul McCartney, Dolly will be covering the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Long As I Can See the Light” with John Fogerty and Journey’s “Open Arms” with Steve Perry. She’s still hoping to get Annie Lennox and Cher on a cover of the Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” 

Dolly’s also trying to get Mick Jagger to join her, joking that if it doesn’t happen, “I’ll kick his bony a** when I see him!”

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Olivia Newton-John was honored at the G’Day USA Gala last weekend in Los Angeles. Her husband, John Easterling, shared a moving tribute to the legendary singer, who passed away in August at age 73.

“We shared a love and a happiness on an order of magnitude that I didn’t even think was possible,” Easterling shared, as reported by The Mirror. “For the past 15 years, I’ve been blessed to share the depth and the passion of her being.” He added, “Every day with Olivia was a bit of magic. Every day with Olivia was supernatural.”

Easterling, who was at the event with Olivia’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, called his wife “the most courageous and compassionate woman that I’ve ever known,” and explained why she chose to use her name to promote cancer research centers in both the U.S. and Australia.

“There’s an old adage that like attracts like, and Olivia knew that her voice and her huge profile of talents were a gift,” he said. “Her legacy continues as a joyful, healing spirit who is continuously focused on moving things, in her words, ‘into the love and the light.’”

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Paul McCartney has shared some never-before-heard music by the late guitarist Jeff Beck, who died earlier this month. The music was part of a pro-vegetarian campaign the pair worked on back in 1994. 

“With the sad passing of Jeff Beck – a good friend of mine, and a great, great guitar player – it reminded me of the time we worked together many years ago on a campaign for vegetarianism,” McCartney shares. “It’s great guitar playing, cause it’s Jeff!”

Beck’s message was previously used in a 13-part radio series called Oobu Joobu, which gave fans a glimpse of Paul’s world, including his vegetarianism campaigns. In the clip, Beck can be heard questioning why the rainforest is being cut down for cattle grazing, warning that since tropical plants are used for medicines and pharmaceutical needs, we could be risking missing out on a “possible discovery of a miracle cure just for a dollar fifth hamburger.”

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